I am so looking forward to the debates. I expect to see Romney sobbing in frustration and anguish as his head is elegantly handed to him. That is, if there are debates. Romney may decide it's beneath his dignity to explain his positions to the American people. Don't they know he's royalty?

clambam:I am so looking forward to the debates. I expect to see Romney sobbing in frustration and anguish as his head is elegantly handed to him. That is, if there are debates. Romney may decide it's beneath his dignity to explain his positions to the American people. Don't they know he's royalty?

It's ridiculously disappointing. He could be such a strong candidate. All he'd have to do is open himself up like a book and say "I am the poster child for why things need to change in America. The rules are tipped in my favor. If you elect me, here's how I will make the rules fair for all Americans." He'd crush Obama with the independent vote if he did that.

Duke Phillips' Singing Bears:If sophistry were a crime, this op ed would be evidence enough to have Mr. Krauthammer drawn, quartered, drowned, shot, stabbed, poisoned and hung. Just a really impressive piece of work all around.

Yea, good job Krauthammer. Just gloss over the fact that Romney's England gaffes made #romneyshambles and #mitthappens trend on Twitter for the UK and set the tone for his entire trip. Also, good job on the "yea they both say the same thing but Romney really means it"

His opinion sure has changed, because after Romney's first day in London Kraut was nuking him on Fox News of all places. In fact, after describing it all he said something like "I'm out of adjetives to describe this" and none that he used were positive.

clambam:I am so looking forward to the debates. I expect to see Romney sobbing in frustration and anguish as his head is elegantly handed to him. That is, if there are debates. Romney may decide it's beneath his dignity to explain his positions to the American people. Don't they know he's royalty?

Does America REALLY need another president who's only a candidate because his Daddy was someone rich and powerful? Wan't the REAL Dubya enough? Do we really need a reboot of that horrible movie? Especially the part where we keep paying for it for decades?

Shrugging Atlas:His opinion sure has changed, because after Romney's first day in London Kraut was nuking him on Fox News of all places. In fact, after describing it all he said something like "I'm out of adjetives to describe this" and none that he used were positive.

yeah, I only read the article because I was expected Krauthammer to trounce Romney, but it was yet another GOP ass-kissing from krauthammer.

Serious Black:It's ridiculously disappointing. He could be such a strong candidate. All he'd have to do is open himself up like a book and say "I am the poster child for why things need to change in America. The rules are tipped in my favor. If you elect me, here's how I will make the rules fair for all Americans." He'd crush Obama with the independent vote if he did that.

Shocking news today, as Presidential candidate Mitt Romney was tragically and mysteriously killed by a giant safe full of money during a campaign stop. The safe was dangling precariously on a rope-and-pulley system out the window of a high-rise apartment building, almost as if from a Charlie Chaplain movie, and incredibly, Mr. Romney's podium was setup directly underneath the safe. Witnesses report several well-dressed men were seen loitering about the high-rise, handing out wads of hundred dollar bills to anyone who questioned the safety of such a situation. There are also sketchy reports that at least one of the men said "Guess you forgot money trickles down" after the safe landed.

Serious Black:It's ridiculously disappointing. He could be such a strong candidate. All he'd have to do is open himself up like a book and say "I am the poster child for why things need to change in America. The rules are tipped in my favor. If you elect me, here's how I will make the rules fair for all Americans." He'd crush Obama with the independent vote if he did that.

Ordinarily I'd agree with you. Romney would not be a bad president. Romney will be a reasonably good president if he's elected. The point is, the repubs should not be rewarded for deliberately sabotaging the economy so they can say "Look what a bad job Obama has done on the economy!" They need to learn that just because the American people have chosen to elect a Democrat they cannot bring the government to a standstill or waste our time (again) on spurious impeachment proceedings (just you wait...). This is government by petulance. It needs to stop.

In my opinion Obama's real failure has been to not respond effectively to repub obstructionism. He should have realized within weeks of taking office that there would be no bipartisanship, and acted accordingly. It could be argued that no one could have anticipated the depth of repub intransigence. Well, we know now. It's long past time to stop reaching out and start crushing mercilessly.

Substantively, the Poland and the Israel trips were good for Romney. Lech Walesa's endorsement should carry some weight, and Romney's comments about the difference in culture between Israel and Palestine wasn't a gaffe as much as the absolute truth.

But the problem is that doesn't benefit Romney - the media decided from the get-go that they were going to spin Romney's trip into a disaster. Yes, the media is a virtual extension of the Obama campaign - but Romney knew that going in.

They should have been better prepared to deal with that. They should have been making their case for why this trip matters and managing the media expectations better. And yes, it's very satisfying to tell the media off, especially when they deserve it. But when you're part of a Presidential campaign you don't have that luxury.

It doesn't matter what substantively happened on Romney's trip - what matters right now is whether any of that redounds to the Romney campaign. And Romney's people failed to come up with its own narrative of the trip and failed to push that narrative - which let the media paint its own distorted picture.

Yes, it's the part of the summer where the campaign is an afterthought for most people, yes, if you're going to screw up in a campaign now's the time to do. But Romney's people need to get their heads on straight, realize what environment they're in, and plan accordingly. They've got time to that, but once September hits they've got to hit the ground running.

Krauthammer may be right on the substance, but this is politics. Substantive victories that don't get contextualized by a campaign aren't worth shiat.

Shrugging Atlas:His opinion sure has changed, because after Romney's first day in London Kraut was nuking him on Fox News of all places. In fact, after describing it all he said something like "I'm out of adjetives to describe this" and none that he used were positive.

Any talking head caught talkin' with their mind not right, spends a night in the box.

WombatControl:Substantively, the Poland and the Israel trips were good for Romney. Lech Walesa's endorsement should carry some weight, and Romney's comments about the difference in culture between Israel and Palestine wasn't a gaffe as much as the absolute truth.

But the problem is that doesn't benefit Romney - the media decided from the get-go that they were going to spin Romney's trip into a disaster. Yes, the media is a virtual extension of the Obama campaign - but Romney knew that going in.

They should have been better prepared to deal with that. They should have been making their case for why this trip matters and managing the media expectations better. And yes, it's very satisfying to tell the media off, especially when they deserve it. But when you're part of a Presidential campaign you don't have that luxury.

It doesn't matter what substantively happened on Romney's trip - what matters right now is whether any of that redounds to the Romney campaign. And Romney's people failed to come up with its own narrative of the trip and failed to push that narrative - which let the media paint its own distorted picture.

Yes, it's the part of the summer where the campaign is an afterthought for most people, yes, if you're going to screw up in a campaign now's the time to do. But Romney's people need to get their heads on straight, realize what environment they're in, and plan accordingly. They've got time to that, but once September hits they've got to hit the ground running.

Krauthammer may be right on the substance, but this is politics. Substantive victories that don't get contextualized by a campaign aren't worth shiat.

I was waiting to see what the RNC spin would be. Now from reading your post I can skip their website.

It amazes me how conservative derper die-hards will spin stuff. Not just the talking heads, but everyday people. It is almost like they are trying to convince themselve's as much as they are others. I really believe it goes down to the base of the modern U.S. conservative's culture and their inability to accept fault for any actions they are responsible for or criticisms for unexcusable statements they make.

"...a simple paean to Olympic spirit...""...The Warsaw leg was a triumph....""...warmly embraced...""...stirring example...""...Romney's speech was a masterpiece of nuance and restraint. Without directly criticizing Obama...""...Romney drew pointed distinctions deftly expressed in the code words and curlicued diction of Middle East diplomacy.""...Romney made clear he means it...""Look at how Romney was received. In Israel, its popular prime minister lavished on him a welcome so warm as to be a near-endorsement.""...a major substantive success...two triumphs ... and a fine demonstration of foreign-policy fluency and command..."

clambam:I am so looking forward to the debates. I expect to see Romney sobbing in frustration and anguish as his head is elegantly handed to him. That is, if there are debates. Romney may decide it's beneath his dignity to explain his positions to the American people. Don't they know he's royalty?

At the first debate, I would love nothing more than to see Obama come out on stage, shake Romney's hand and then stuff a one dollar bill in his belt, while leaning in and whispering "This is typically what I do before watching an ass slide down a poll."

/weird that one of the first things that google "auto-suggests" when I google that guy is "Charles Krauthammer diving accident".... that's weird, right?//"Krauthammer" would be a good name for a speed metal band

qorkfiend:clambam: Romney will be a reasonably good president if he's elected.

No, he wouldn't. He'd be a rubber stamp for the ultra-conservative Teatarded Republican Congress.

I disagree, Once Romney's in--and he's not thinking any further than that right now--the Etch-a-Sketch gets shaken once again and he will feel free to do exactly as he pleases. His impulses and instincts are moderate and that's where he'll go once he's in office, Tea Party be damned. I predict he will repeal Obamacare on Day One and bring it back around Day 60 with minor changes under a different name. I suspect around Day 10 he will call for a new round of stimulus spending, because, frankly, that's what the economy needs to get back on track. His call for recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel will get the Obama Gitmo treatment--back burnered into oblivion--and ultimately he will find it necessary to raise taxes. The one benefit to a Romney administration is that the small-to-medium sized business owners who have deliberately held back on expanding their businesses and hiring (I know at least two of them personally) in order to screw the Democrats will feel free to staff up and that's gotta be good for the economy. Again, this kind of behavior is absolutely unacceptable and the repubs need to experience a through thrashing at the polls in order to put a permanent end to it.

clambam:I disagree, Once Romney's in--and he's not thinking any further than that right now--the Etch-a-Sketch gets shaken once again and he will feel free to do exactly as he pleases.

No, he won't. Once he's in he'll start thinking about re-election and what moves are likely to get him there. If he wins on the backs of Tea Party Republicans - and that's the only way he can win - then he'll spend his first term following the lead of the Tea Party Congress so he won't alienate his base. His impulses and instincts are not moderate; his impulses and instincts are to do whatever benefits him most at the moment.

clambam:I am so looking forward to the debates. I expect to see Romney sobbing in frustration and anguish as his head is elegantly handed to him. That is, if there are debates. Romney may decide it's beneath his dignity to explain his positions to the American people. Don't they know he's royalty?

He seriously believes he is destined to be the Firstest Superest Mormonest President and it irritates the hell out of him that we actually have to have an election for this since he's obviously so much better and holier and richer than everyone else.

If he gets the nom, I expect a fabulous breakdown after he just. can't. stand. PANDERING to the poors for votes anymore.